


A basket of onigiri

by rayrayswimusic



Series: Event Fics [20]
Category: Fruits Basket, Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga)
Genre: Dancing in the Rain, Established Relationship, F/M, Post manga ending, afruitsbasketzine, picnic date, some emotional baggage but it's not huge, zine fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-08-10 01:42:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20127277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rayrayswimusic/pseuds/rayrayswimusic
Summary: A picnic a day, keeps the nightmares away. A dance in the rain, breathes new life within one. And maybe some onigiri were consumed.





	A basket of onigiri

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is part of [afruitsbasketzine](https://zinefruitsbasket.tumblr.com/) that I'm honoured to be a part of!!

Shuffling around on his futon, he struggled to remain in the arms of morpheus; however, instead of slipping back into sleep, he found himself dealing with a faceful of hair, and limited mobility. At some point during the night, both he and Tohru had shifted towards the edges of their respective futons, so when he opened his eyes he could see that they had become a tangle of limbs, wrapped up in each other. His one arm rested along her waist, gently draped over her body as if to bring her even closer into his hold. The other hand had managed to sneak under her head and his fingers were just barely brushing against her hair. 

He took a moment to appreciate the feeling of being able to hold her close to him. The distance between their bodies was nary a centimeter and, if he simply leaned in, he could press his face into the top of her head and feeling the soft strands of hair against his cheek. Normally, she would have already backed away from him, a bright red colour painting across her cheeks, and her eyes askance from embarrassment. He felt his lips twitching into a soft smile spread across his face. From his position, he wasn’t able to see Tohru’s face, but he could already imagine the way her lips would have curled, somehow always looking relaxed and content as she slept. Pressing a soft kiss to her head, he slowly began to untangle himself from her, not to get up, but simply to free his hand. He ran some strands of her hair through his fingers, sighing contentedly at the familiar feeling.

Eventually, due to his ministrations, Tohru woke up, though it was much slower and relaxed compared to her usual manner. He watched with fascination as she first tensed in his arms, curling her toes in and arching her back to stretch. This exposed her face as she tilted it back, so he could see how her forehead scrunched up as she fought the pull of being woken up. Curious as to how she would react when she saw him hugging her, he waited patiently for her eyes to open. Watching as she blinked out the haze of sleep and could see when the awareness of her position sank in. 

When she blushed and struggled to get out of his grasp, he almost let her go, but there was a sleepy smile on her face that made him pause and hold on a bit tighter. He laughed happily, which made her pause, giving him a chance to hug her close to him once more.

“Good morning Tohru, did you sleep well?” He smiled softly, still feeling some laughter rumbling in his chest. Her face had turned bright red, but she didn’t look away from him which allowed his smile to spread further across his cheeks. At her shaky nod, he leaned down slightly to press a soft kiss on her forehead, unable to reach her lips. She soon relaxed into his hold, letting the residual fight left in her dissipate and instead snuggled closer. Locking his arms around her body more securely, he tucked her head under his chin. Letting out a sigh of contentment, he allowed his eyes to drift closed. 

When they both awoke again, the sun had risen quite substantially and was now streaming light through their curtains. As he sat up, he couldn’t resist the age-old habit of stretching his arms and back in a manner akin to that of a cat. Hearing the satisfying pops in his back, and feeling the tension bleed out of his body was enough to justify the habit. Facing the window, he brushed aside the curtains until the dimly-lit room was flooded with warm sunshine. He could almost feel the soft smile that spread across Tohru’s lips when he scrunched up his face as the sunlight suddenly struck his eyes, and when she proceeded to laugh at the unintentional snarl that escaped his mouth he knew he had been right.

Turning back around to face her, he was struck by her beauty once again. Even with them both being so young, he could already see hints of laugh lines embedding themselves around her mouth. But it was the gleam of her eyes, the sunlight reflecting off the rich chocolate irises to leave behind a stunning glitter, that left him without words. He caught himself gaping, managing to screw his head on tighter and whip his mouth closed. 

They both began to get ready for the day, even though the hour was much later than either of them usually woke up at. But with a rare day off, neither had turned on a single alarm, simply choosing to see how the day began naturally. Plodding into the bathroom, he stared into the mirror sleepily, and began his daily ablutions. With the odd effect of brushing one’s teeth slowly kick starting his brain once again, he quickly finished up and headed out towards the kitchen. 

He could see that Tohru had already turned on their coffee machine - a new addition that they were still getting accustomed to. Switching on the rice cooker, he began reaching into the cupboards to search for their wayward bowls and mugs. Oddly enough, with only two people, they had amassed quite a bit of kitchen equipment in the past year or so. Their friends had all decided on helping to stock their kitchen as move-in gifts. And the Sohmas were no slouches when it came to gift-giving. Luckily, Hatori had managed to control Ayame and Shigure this time - one embarrassing birthday gift was enough. 

Fighting past the sudden blush that spread across his face, he continued in his search for mugs. But before he could begin to set the table, he felt a pair of slender arms wrap around his back to interlock just below his stomach. Freezing in his movements, he took a quick glance behind him and could see that Tohru had pressed her face into his back. Grinning, he reached down and squeezed her hands.

"Good morning, again. Are you ready for breakfast?" She pulled away and nodded quickly, not one to be too talkative in the morning, preferring instead to let the day begin slowly. But before she could reach for her apron and take over, he grabbed one of her hands. "I don't need any help, go sit down or something. You don't need to take care of every breakfast, you goof." 

He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips at her exasperated look. Raising his free hand to block the smile on his face, he quickly schooled his look into a serious one and kept speaking. "No way, you do all the work even when I offer to take some of the load! It's your day off, Tohru."

"But...Kyo!" There was now an adorable pout on her lips. He wanted to stay firm and resolute in his decision, but her response had him fighting the urge to give in. "It's not just my day off, but yours as well." She had a serious look on her face, pondering a way to get him to listen to her. He could tell exactly when she came up with an idea, as there was a sudden brightness to her countenance. 

"It's our day off right? Then let's go on a picnic, Kyo! Even if the sakura haven't bloomed yet, the park is gorgeous this time of year!" He had no argument that would have held up against her bright smile and shining eyes. With a small sigh he nodded, even as he overlooked his original plan to spend the day lazing around at home.

"Guess we should make some more rice then?"

They danced around each other smoothly in the kitchen as they worked to make picnic food, indicative of the comfort that has run in their relationship from back when they first met. Even under all the awkwardness that had laced their interactions initially, within a short period of time, both had found themselves at ease when in the kitchen together. He easily moved around her smaller frame to grab the boxes they stored on the top shelf, while she managed to make her way around him to the other counter to begin wrapping the makizushi. 

But when it came time for the onigiri, both of them stopped their individual tasks - Kyo finished frying the karaage, and Tohru paused in filling the bentos. Smiling at each other, both began shaping the rice in their hands, hips bumping into each other as they swayed to a song only heard between them. Secret grins shared between each other, raising eyebrows at oddly shaped onigiri that were quickly rectified. Silent nods answered questions about fillings, and all were placed in the box with the umeboshi easily visible. The onigiri held a special place of honour in their household, and whenever one was making them, the other would silently appear to join in on the process. 

With the prep work completed, they put together their basket and headed towards their front door. Sitting down to slip on his shoes, he watched as Tohru rummaged in their cupboard. With a grin, he watched as she pulled out an outdoor blanket, presumably another gift from her friends when they moved in together. After locking up the house, he reached out silently to hold onto her free hand, interlacing their fingers together. Squeezing her hand lightly, his smile grew larger when she returned it with an equally strong squeeze. 

As they walked to the nearby park, he listened patiently as she rambled on about what each child had done and who had said what the day before - Tohru had begun working as a child-care assistant at a daycare – only chiming in occasionally when her gesture-filled talking managed to lead her off the path, tugging him along. He chuckled at her excitement whenever the children in her stories were able to make friends or learn something new. 

At the park, the two set up the blanket underneath a large tree, and spread their food out. As Kyo settled down beside Tohru, he let out a content sigh. Even if his original plans for the day had changed, he found himself just as happy as he would have been at home with her. They both dug into the food, slowly nibbling on the fresh lunch. 

"You were telling me about some of the kids in your daycare...Ei and Kaz I think?" He popped one of the tamagoyaki into his mouth and chewed slowly, as he waited to hear her response.

Once she finished her bite, she answered, "They were so adorable Kyo! Apparently Kazuya had wanted to play with the blocks, but Eijun had taken them." She leaned in, smiling conspiratorially, as if to tell a secret. "Neither of them had ever gotten along with each other before, so we were quite nervous when Kazuya walked up to Eijun." 

He listened, amused as he was at the seriousness of her behaviour but also intrigued to hear what the two kids would do.

"I had spoken to the other sensei in charge, and apparently Kazuya and Eijun got along their first day together but Kazuya likes to tease kids, and Eijun is a bit strong-headed and doesn't realize that’s how he shows affection." At that, she levelled a blatant look at him, which made him blush slightly before glaring at her in response. So what if he and the  _ stupid rat _ had argued a lot? It wasn't like they liked each other or anything. It only made Tohru laugh, a full bodied sound that shook her from her shoulders and head all the way down to her waist. It sounded akin to wind chimes, something he would never get tired of hearing. 

Eventually, when she was done laughing at him, she continued the tale, a few chuckles still escaping her lips. "Well anyway, Kazuya managed to convince Eijun that sharing the blocks with him would be even more fun, even if he riled EIjun up so much we were concerned that he might throttle Kazuya. Luckily nothing of that sort happened, and in fact it was quite a peaceful morning."

He started chuckling alongside her, easily imagining the two little kids fighting with each other while wanting to be friends. He could understand their feelings, the desperation of wanting a friend while also not seeing eye-to-eye with the other person, leading to both of them lashing out at each other. He felt a painful thump in his chest, valiantly avoiding the thoughts his brain had begun leaning towards. But before he found himself lost in the memories, a hand quickly grabbed onto his and squeezed tight.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he squinted at Tohru through the tears that had inexplicably built up on his eyelashes. A brilliant blush crossed his face as he saw the fond smile on her face, one that promised support without pushing him.  _ Like always. _ He gently squeezed back, a smile curling on his own lips as hers became a wide grin. Using his free hand, he reached up to cup her cheek, rubbing his thumb along the cheekbone. As she leaned into his caress, some of her hair spilled out of the loose bun she’d thrown it up into. He felt the strands tickle his arm as they came to rest on his wrist, pulling a soft laugh from his throat. 

Both of them remained in that position for a few more minutes, basking in the open love they were sending towards each other. Her eyes had fluttered closed soon after his hand came to her face, and he could feel his smile permanently etching itself into his own. There was no need to talk. Rather, they simply enjoyed each other and their relationship. 

The next day they would return to their busy schedules. Her, back to her children and clumsy accidents, helping the other teachers beyond what was expected of her, and coming home exhausted every night. But, every night, there would be gentle hands leading her to a warm bath and warm lips pressing languid kisses to her face and neck till she tiredly batted away the wandering mouth. He would return to the dojo, learning from his new Sensei, instructing the new initiates, young and old. He would fight his annoyance at children who treated his art like a game, knowing that each time he held his tongue, he’d receive a kiss for his patience. He bit his lip until it bruised and bled.

Eventually his stomach growled, demanding the food they had put so much effort into. The scowl on his face, and the laughter on hers ended the touching moment, but it simply transitioned into a new conversation. 

“Have you heard from Sensei recently?”

Quirking an eyebrow slightly, he shook his head. “No...why?”

“It’s just something Hana-chan said last week when I called her.” There was no concern on Tohru’s face as she spoke so he felt himself relax imperceptibly. But then he registered who she had mentioned.

“Oh great. What did Hanajima do now?l” For as blasé as his statement was, his face had blanched quite rapidly. 

His understated fear seemed to make Tohru giggle as she had always found his discomfort of his father being with Hana something of amusement. She shook her head before responding. "Nothing Kyo! Just that they were planning on coming up to visit in a few weeks." She raised her arm to run her fingers through his hair, brushing aside the stray hairs that had become disarrayed across his forehead. 

"She was hoping we could take some time off and let them know when we're available before they made any concrete plans." 

With a loud groan, Kyo slumped over, studiously ignoring the giggles that escaped Tohru's lips, and collapsed onto her crossed legs. Nuzzling his head into her lap, he muffled another groan in her skirt. Rather than blush, as the Tohru of the past would have done, she only smiled that fond smile of hers again. Lips curving up gently, and a hint of teeth visible as her eyes crinkled from joy. Her fingers found purchase in his hair once again, slowly tugging on the strands of hair. His groan of frustration slowly transitioned into one of pleasure as he relaxed further into her embrace. 

Turning slightly so that he could see her face, Kyo smiled to himself as her eyes slowly drifted away from his to watch the birds that had come to nest in the tree they were sitting under. Her eyes travelled to the sweet-smelling flowers growing at the base of the bushes lining the tree, towards the small pond a bit of a distance from them, where a couple of ducks were leading their newborn ducklings in their first swim. But through all of those distractions, two things remained consistent - her smile was as beautiful as ever, and her fingers never stopped carding through his hair. 

Laughing loudly, Kyo reached over and tucked his arms around her waist, burying his face in her stomach as he squeezed tightly. At the sound of his laugh, she started slightly and his sudden hug had her flailing for a moment, not expecting the sudden burst of affection.

"Wha- Kyo?" 

But as always she settled quickly, wrapping her arms around his head in a gentle hug, and bending down slightly to brush her lips across his hair. When he pulled back from the hug, he laid down on her lap once again with his head facing her so that they could continue speaking. His free arm, the one not squished between their bodies, reached up and tucked a few more of the stray hairs behind her ear. His fingers stalled on her cheek, tracing meaningless patterns as they slowly slid down to her neck and collar bones before finally falling back down to his chest. They shared another insignificant,  _ significant,  _ smile.

Their conversation would have continued had the clouds above them not decided they had amassed enough moisture for the day. The sky opened up into a sudden downpour, coating the earth with its life-giving liquid until even the thirsty grass and plants were fully quenched. The two of them scrambled up, hastily packing up the remaining food into the basket, tucked carefully underneath the picnic blanket. Both found themselves soaked, though with the warm weather it was an embracing feeling, not a bone-chilling one.

But unlike Tohru, who embraced and enjoyed all weather to its fullest, he couldn't fight his life-born impulses. For so long, rain had meant a grumpy demeanor, scowls and exhaustion coating his behaviour until he could predict the weather based on the ache of his elbows and knees. Being wet spelled an expected fate, spending time in his cat form, the fear of the beads not working one day and unleashing the  _ monster _ . So he flinched as each water droplet landed on his head, the rain dripping down his face in rivulets that carved their path to the ground using his body as a guide. Kyo felt a gentle hand coming up to squeeze his shoulder, filling his body with more warmth than the summer rain could muster. Forcing his eyes open,  _ and when had they shut?,  _ he glanced down at Tohru, her concerned brown eyes scanning his face and body for any pain or unexpected changes.

Even after the confirmation, there was always an unbidden voice at the back of his mind that crowed loudly.

_ You will never be free of Akito's desires. God's will cannot be shaken. _

But Tohru had other plans for their evening. She was not one to waste any opportunity to help him build bridges, to move away from his pain. He wanted to return home, to dry off and wear multiple layers until he couldn't feel the rain pounding in his chest. But she simply grabbed his hand, his wrist, tugging him out into the rain. It had lessened from a downpour to a steady shower. He pulled back as much as possible, resisting her as he fought his instincts to rip his hand out of her grip and push her down. Tohru didn't budge, her infamous will and determination stronger than his fear. 

Humming, almost inaudible in the rain, she dropped her wrist to wrap both arms around his neck. Unwittingly, his own came to wrap around her waist. He still felt tension in his shoulders, his eyes were wide and discomfort coursed through his entire body. But he followed her path, straining to hear her humming, stepping in place as they swayed in the rain. It took some time, her fingers rubbing soothing circles into the soaked shirt on his back, tugging at the baby hairs at his neck, before he felt even a modicum of peace settle into his chest. 

As the rain began to peter out, a faint drizzle still fell from the clouds while they continued to dance. He managed to find some courage in his heart and shifted his hands into a proper position, grasping one of her hands, while he found her waist with the other. He began to lead, and her smile of satisfaction when he willingly took control filled him with all the confidence he needed. They danced around on the rain-soaked grass, careful not to slip and fall, while still moving carefree. Her singing had all but disappeared, for the silence was now acting as their music, highlighting the sound of hearts beating together. At one point her eyes drifted close, so Kyo could see the serene expression gracing her face. He blushed heavily, joy effervescent at the thought of putting that look on her face. 

He leaned down, pressing his lips to the corner of hers, lingering there for a brief moment before slotting their lips together. Languidly swaying as he kissed her softly, a novel thought crossed his mind. 

_ Perhaps the rain isn't as bad as it used to be. _

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my fic, I really appreciate it!! The Fruits Basket Zine is not out as of yet, however we were given permission to post early and to promote the zine! I hope you all enjoy my fic as well as the entire zine when it comes out!!
> 
> writing blog: [rayraywrites](https://rayraywrites.tumblr.com/)  
twitter: [rayray_swimusic](https://twitter.com/rayray_swimusic)
> 
> Special thanks to my lovely friends who went through my fic and helped me edit it!! thanks cj & v <3


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